Amazon Starts 10-Minute Delivery In Delhi In Quick-Commerce Push

Amazon.com Inc. has begun offering deliveries in as little as 10 minutes in New Delhi, revving up competition with local rivals in one of the fastest-growing segments of online retail.

The online retail giant is expanding its “Now” service to the Indian capital, deepening a nascent foray into so-called quick commerce. It’s trying to keep up with rivals such as Eternal Ltd.’s Blinkit, Swiggy Ltd.’s Instamart and Zepto, which together pioneered the near-instant deliveries that’ve proven popular with a broad swath of Indian consumers.

Amazon is “excited with the initial customer response and positive feedback,” the company said in a statement Thursday. “Based on this, we’re now expanding the service over the next few months.

Amazon’s rivals now ship everything from groceries to gadgets in minutes, while the US company typically manages deliveries in a day or two. The trend is driven by a rise in consumerism in a country where a growing middle class is looking for speedy gratification. Those local upstarts are driving a shift in consumer behavior that’s forced Amazon and Walmart Inc.’s Flipkart to enter the quick commerce segment.

Amazon has committed more than $11 billion to India since it entered the South Asian country in 2013. Last month, the company said it will invest another $233 million in India to boost its delivery network and infrastructure. The online retailer also opened five new fulfillment centers to speed up e-commerce deliveries across smaller towns and cities.

Delhi is only the second city where “Now” is offered, after Bangalore where it was launched in December. Flipkart “Minutes” was launched last year and now makes quick deliveries across 14 Indian cities.